Cutter.



A. A. ARNOLD.

CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 5. 19u.

Patented. May 28,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A. A. ARNOLD.

CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 5. 1911.

Patented ay 28,1918.

l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THUR M. HOLD, F SOUTHBRIDGE, MSSACHUSETTS, lMSSIGNOR TO AMERICAN PTICAL COMPANY, 0F SOUTHBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A VOLUNTARY lMSSOCTL- TTOIN' 01E MASSACHUSETTS.

incase.

Specification of Letters Patent.

CUTTER.

Application led January 5, 1917. Serial No. 140,849. i

To all witom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR A. ARNOLD,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Southbridge, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, hav'e invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in cutting machines and has particular reference to an improved machine particularly adapted for the cutting 'of ophthalmic lenses.

lOne of the leading objects of the present invention resides in the provision of a cutter for ophthalmic lenses or the like, which will facilitate to the greatest possible extent the interchangement of guiding formers for the cutter.

A further object of the invention is the .provision of an im roved cutter in which' moving parts and joints liable to become loose are reduced to a minimum.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an extremely simply constructed rigid and accurate lens cutter.

' Other objects and advantages of my im- .y proved `constructionshould be readily apparent by reference to thev following specification taken in connection-with the accompanying drawings, and it will be understood that T may make any modifications in the specific details of construction shown and;

described within the vscope of the appended claims without departing from or exceedmy complete cutter.

Fig. Ill represents a vertical longitudinal Asectional view thereof.

, standard being shown in section.

lon the benchand having lrising therefrom the standard 3 terminating in an inwardly disposed head 4, having at each corner a journal 5.

Slidably and rotatably journaled in one of said members 5 is the clamp spindle 6 having the tripod or clamping member 7 at the lower end and the operating head 8 at the upper end, and being urged downward into clamping position by the spring 9, whose tension is controlled by the adjustable nut 10 at the top of the journal., Similarly slidably and rotatably mounted in the other journa ,wis the drive shaft 11, bearing on its upper end the operating handle or crank 12 and having itslower end provided with the notch or groove 13, said spindle being pressed downwardly into operative position.

asby the spring 14bearing against the collar 15 on the spindle or shaft.

Patented May 28, 191.

shaft 1 7 rotatably mounted in the base-1,

while meshing with the gear 16 is a second `gear 18 having an equal number of teeth to synchronously rotate Awith the gear 16, said gear 18 being supported on the shaft 19 which is slidably and rotatably supported by the base 1, a lever 20 being pivoted to the base and having a forwardly extending operating portion and a rearwardly extending portion engaging the shaft'19 whereby depression of the forward end of the lever 20 f will serve to raise the shaft and gear. This gear 18 is adapted to serve as a lens supporting table and ispreferably provided with the usual lens receiving pad 21. The lens being placed in position on the padv when the gear is in lowered position and depression of the lever 20 then bringing the lens upward into correct engagement with the cutting point 22. This cutting point is supported by the spindle 23, which is cut away to span the lens and bring the point exactly at the axis of the soindle, the spindle being rotatably mounted in the yoke 24 and capable of adjustment by turning the knurled head 25 on thefspindle, a spring pressed locking plunger dlsposed as at 26 Iserving to lock the spindle in desired rotatably adjusted position.

It will thus be seen that :by rotation of the spindle the cutting point 122 may be set 40 1 of the member 41 is formed with the rib or' at any desired angle relative to the surface on which it is to operate and on account ofA unyieldingly' secured to the slide 28 which extends transversely of the base, having the y slot 29 through which the'shafts17 and 19 depend, and being retained in position as gy the cap plate'30 on the under side of the ase.

Secured to the-slide 28 at Athe'opposite side of the machine from that to whic the standard 27 is located, is the block 31 having at its top the ide way 32 in which is slid-I ably moun'tegiuthe gage and contact plate or shoe 33,-whosey position relative to the block is controlled by the adjustin nut 34, interlocking with the depending ange 35 on the outer end of the contact plate orv shoe. A series of graduations 36 on one of the mem` bers and an indicating line or pointer 37 i on the other, serves to indicate the adjustment of the contact member.

For coperation with the contact member or shoe 33 and to control the shape' of mark or cutting line inscribed on the lens by the point 22, I employ my improved removable former 38 having the central bore or aperture 39' and the supplemental aperture,

socket or key-way. 40. In use the former 38 is placed on the ear 16 with the reduced upper end 41 of t e shaft 17 tting within 'ing of the spind the aperture 39 and the pin or key 42 engaged in the aperture or key-way 40 to lock the former in predetermined position on the gear 16. It will be noted that the upper end projection 43, adapted to interlock with Athe lower end of the actuating spindle 12, when the same is in lowered position, but capable of ready disengagement therefrom upon lift- It will thus be understood that under ordinary conditions-the spindlev 11 is-held in depressed position interlocking with the upper end of the shaft 17 by the spring 14, whereby upon rotation of the handle 12 the gear 17 and thus thetable gear 18 will be rotated, the table carrying with it the'lens and shifting the lens beneath thefstationary cutting point 22, while the former moves with the gear 16 and on account of its contact with the shoeor plate 33 draws the cutting plate inward by its lcamming action, or allows-it to move outward with the slide 28 ractuated byI the spring 44 which tends ,to' force theslide outward and vto hold tact shoe, 33 a ainst the former 38'.l

When it is esired to change formers it is merely necessary to raise the s indle l11, locking it in raised position if desired, as by the latch member 45 engaging the collar 15, when the former may be lifted u ward off new former substituted,

In Fig. V, I have illustrated a slight modification of my invention, in which the gear 16 is secured on the lower end of the the gear 1,6 as indicated in Fig. V, and a v spindle 11 and movable vertically therewith in place of being secured to the bas'e, as is clearly illustrated in Fig. V, the shaft 17 being provided on the base for interlocking with the shaft 11 below the gear and the former being keyed or splined onto the shaft 17, as indicated in the dotted lines in Fig. VI.

In this form of my invention the slide 28 is located on top of the base 1 in place of extending therethrough and is rovided at its inner end with the adjusta le contact shoe' 46 whose position is controlled by means of the 4adjusting screw 47, said contact shoe 46 having the pointer 48 extending outwardly over the graduated or scale portion 49' ofthe slide for indicating the adjustment of the contact member the cutter and contact shoe in this form of my invention thus operating together in place of being opposed, as in the form previously described, the construction and general advantages and operation of the cutter being otherwise the same.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings the construction, operatlon and advantages of my improved cutter should be readily apparent and it will be seen that I have provided an improved construction in which the former is entirely independent of the lens clamping mechanism, in which the former may be readilyinterchanged as desired in an extremely simple and eilicient manner, in which the entire machine embodies but two ears, thus eliminating 4lost motion, multip icity of parts and liability of parts .getting out of true or alinement one with the other. In addition it will be seen that I have provided an improved simple construction by which the diamond may be set to be normal to any surface to be operated upon,A in which the diamond or cutting vpoint is 'very rigidly and satisfactorily held and in which theheight of the entire machine may be made considerably less than ispossible withV present machines in view of theconomy of space and general compact arrangement of parts rendered possible through my construction.

1. A cutter, including a base, a Apair of i lens, and a cutter guided by the formerand movable over the other gear for operatively engaging a lens thereon.

, 2. A lens cutter, including a base, a pair Lacasse of intermeshing gears mounted on the base, a lens support carried by one of the gears, a former rotatable With the other of said gears, and a slide mounted on the base having a part for engaging the former and a second part for cuttin a lens on the lens support to theshape o the former.

3. A lens cutter, including a base and a slide carried thereby, a cutter mounted on the slide at one end thereof, a rotatable lens support and former, and means opposite the cutter for shifting the slide as the former is rotated to cut the desired pattern on the lens.

4. In a lens cutter, the combination with a base, of a pair of non-axial gears rotatably `supported thereby, a former supported for rotation with one of the gears, and lens bearing means disposed for rotation With the other 0f the gears, a transversely movable slide mounted on the base, and former engaging and lens cutting means carried by the slide for coperation with the respective gears.

5. A lens cutter including a base, a slide supported by the base and bearing a cutter at one end, a lens table rotatably mounted on the base, means for rotating the table and lens carried thereby, and means at the end of the slide opposite the cutter for shifting the slide to control the position of the cutter during the rotation of the lens.

6. A lens cutter, including a base, a pair l of shafts rising from the base, means for synchronously rotating said shafts, a former on one of the shafts, a lens holder coperating with the other shaft, a slide on the base, and a contact shoe adjustably mounted on the slide for engagement with the former to control the position or the slide relative to the lens holder.

7. lln a lens cutter, the combination with a driving shaft, of a second shaft driven thereby, a clutch connection between said shafts, a former removably keyed to the driven shaft, and means for holding the shafts interlocked to retain the former in position.

8. A lens cutter, including a base a pair of intermeshing horizontally alined gears carried by the base, means for rotating the gears, a former carried by one of the gears and a lens support carried by the other, a transversely shiftable slide on the base having an adjustable Contact shoe engaging the former, means for resiliently retaining the shoe in engagement With the former, and a yoke on the slide spanning the gear and carrying an adjustable cutting device overlying the lens holder, substantially as and for the purpose described.

9. lin a lens cutter, the combination with a lens holder, of a yoke spanning the lensA holder, a cutter bar rotatably supported by the yoke and having a relieved portion overlying the lens holder, a cutter carried by the bar and having its point disposed in the axis of rotation thereof, and means for locking the bar in desired rotatively adjusted position.

lin testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ARTHUR A. ARNOLD.

Witnesses:

EDITH M. HALvoRsEN, d. JOSEPH MAGCARTHY. 

